1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to the field of massage tables, and more particularly, to a stationary or portable massage table or convertible medical examination table adaptable for use with pregnant women.
2. Art Background:
In the area of massage, medical treatment and in particular, treatment for pain and discomfort during pregnancy, such as through massage therapy, there is a distinct lack of available devices designed for pregnant women. Many pregnant women complain of ongoing back and leg pains, swollen hands and feet and constant tiredness during their pregnancies. Doctors have commonly recognized that if the pregnant woman were to receive massages, particularly on a regular basis, many of the foregoing complaints would be alleviated, or at least greatly minimized.
The major drawback of existing massage tables is that, while they are generally acceptable for use in connection with normal ailments on typical non-pregnant patients, the design of such massage tables is unacceptable for pregnant patients having distended abdominal areas. There are no prior art massage tables or prenatal care tables which allow the pregnant woman to comfortably lie in a prone position. As such, a pregnant woman desiring a massage must either receive it while laying on her side, which has generally been shown to be less effective than laying in a prone position, or alternatively, she must endure a massage in a very uncomfortable prone position.
Some attempts have been made to address the problem of providing a comfortable sleeping area for pregnant women. However, the devices in the prior art have several drawbacks, and further, there is no device specifically designed for massage which accommodates the physiology of pregnant women.
A number of prior art devices have been developed which are relevant to the subject invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,726,407 discloses a medical cart and supporting structure which includes a portion which raises to elevate the head of a patient and which further includes cabinets and drawers for storing items below the cart.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,464,069; 4,021,872; 3,988,793; 4,051,566; 4,054,960; and 4,382,306 all disclose mattresses or cots of various types having recessed areas or cavities therein adapted to fit the abdominal and stomach area of a pregnant woman, thereby providing comfort and relieving pressure to the abdomen when it is distended as a result of pregnancy. However, one problem associated with many of the above-referenced inventions is that they do not provide structure for gradually changing the size of the cavity in the mattress as the abdomen of the pregnant woman expands during the course of pregnancy. In fact, many of the above-referenced devices provide only a cavity of fixed size and do not provide any support whatsoever for the woman's abdomen. Such structures thereby allow the woman's abdominal walls to stretch and sag as a result of gravity rather than providing any minimal support thereto which would provide comfort to the pregnant woman. Other of the above-referenced devices which do provide some support to the abdominal region provide only a fixed space in which the pregnant woman's abdomen may fit, so that if the woman's abdomen is either too large or too small to exactly accommodate the area provided therefor, the woman may experience some or even severe discomfort.
In particular, in connection with massage tables, there is no prior art device which is specifically designed for massage therapy and which allows a woman to receive a massage which is so vital for her daily comfort, particularly during the latter months of pregnancy. These and other problems are overcome with the present invention, which is described briefly below.